Review: Tampopo (1985)

Highly inventive and wildly hilarious, Tampopo is a true concoction of wit, mischief and playfulness. Beautifully
restored in all its 4K glory, the meat of this ramen western is found in the
travails of Tampopo (Nobuko Miyamoto), who, in looking to rescue her failing
ramen business, enlists the help of a brusque truck driver, Goro (Tsutomo
Yamazaki) and his sidekick, Gun (Ken Watanabe). Their unorthodox methods provide
much room for comedy, from tasting discarded noodles out of a trash can to
peeping on their competitors’ broth making process. Along the way, they recruit
a bunch of unlikely compatriots - a wizened food guru known as sensei, a bearish contractor with a
crush on Tampopo, and a jovial chauffeur-chef.

Tampopo is a film
which unabashedly disregards narrative structure, happily straying away from
the main storyline every so often to morph into an absurd, yet enthralling, concoction
of short stories. Itami readily borrows from a variety of influences, invoking
chuckles as Goro and his sidekicks saunter across the frame with a John Wayne
swagger, introducing us to a ragtag bunch of vagabonds loosely resembling the
Lost Boys, and even tugging at our heartstrings in a Charlie Chaplin-esque
sequence where, accompanied by orchestral soundtrack, one of the nomads whips
up a hearty dish of omurice for Tampopo’s young son. Others have pointed out
the influence of Buñuel in the class delineation scene where a junior executive
upstages his clueless bosses by accurately ordering a spread of dishes at an
upscale French restaurant.

These stories constitute an enticing variety of side dishes,
if you will, and I am easily charmed by Itami to indulge in these curious treats.
In fact, they prove so enjoyable that I am sometimes disappointed when we return
to the main course of the ramen perfecting process. I admire the carefree way
in which Itami cooks up this delightful mix of stories, free from constraints
and limits, yet without ever losing his intentionality and ingenuity.

This is a film you definitely have to watch with a crowd, as
the collective laughter only adds on to the fun. In particular, the erotically
charged scenes between a flashy gangster and his sultry lover deserve a shout-out
all on its own. Here, the food fetish is played up to an outrageous degree, culminating
in the iconic scene of the two lovers suggestively passing an egg yolk between
their mouths and eliciting incredulous laughter all across the room. A guy behind
me rakes up a comment: “poor gudetama”. Unable to suppress our laughter, our
heads swivel toward him, offering our affirmation of how ridiculous the scene
really is.

Moreover, the close-ups of food only serve to elicit envious
groans and dreamy sighs from everyone. While ramen is clearly the star here, the
co-stars pull their own weight, from steaming Chinese dumplings to delectable homemade
fried rice. A particularly memorable scene would be the making of the omurice,
where audible gasps ripple throughout the audience as the piping hot omelette is
gently laid over a bed of rice and delicately sliced, before spilling beautifully
all over the rice.

It is with great gusto then, that my fellow film comrades and
I eventually march off to the nearest ramen shop after the screening. Tampopo has certainly whet my appetite
for more offerings from Itami, and I am sure that it will prove to be
enduringly funny through the ages, a true mainstay on the menu.Tampopo was screened as part of the Asian Restored Classics 2018.Written by Jessica Heng